What you eat for breakfast has a HUGE impact on how much fat you burn the rest of the day. Because certain foods can either turn ON or OFF your body’s most powerful fat burning hormones. So, which foods should you eat and which should you avoid to burn belly fat all day? Find out here:

Eating the Right Foods Can Give Your Mood a Boost

The connection between your food and mood has come under increasing scientific scrutiny in the past couple of decades. William Dufty brought early attention to this link with his book, “Sugar Blues.” Written over 30 years ago, it has become a classic. Another classic is “The Omega-3 Connection,” written by Dr. Andrew Stoll, published in 2001. This was one of the first books to bring attention toand support the use of omega-3 fats for depression.

A third early pioneer that brought attention to the nutritional underpinnings of psychiatric disturbances was Dr. Abram Hoffer, co-author of “Niacin: The Real Story.” Niacin, Hoffer found, may in fact be a “secret” treatment for a number of psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, which can be notoriously difficult to address.

It’s really unfortunate that so few people consider how their diet may be influencing their mood, seeing how it can indeed have a pronounced effect on your mental health. For example, research has shown that unprocessed foods, especially fermented foods, help optimize your gut microbiome, thereby supporting optimal mental health.

Dark chocolate, coffee, animal-based omega-3 fats and the anti-inflammatory spice turmeric (curcumin) also tend to boost your mood, whereas sugar, wheat (gluten) and processed foods have been linked to a greater risk for depression and anxiety.

Mental Health Is Worsening Around the World

According to the World Health Organization, depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide,1,2 affecting an estimated 322 million people globally, including more than 16 million Americans, 6 million of whom are seniors.3 Statistics also reveal we’re not being particularly effective when it comes to prevention and treatment. Worldwide, rates of depression increased by 18 percent between 2005 and 2015.4

According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, 11 percent of Americans over the age of 12 are on antidepressant drugs. Among women in their 40 and 50s, 1 in 4 is on antidepressants.5 While these drugs are prescribed for conditions other than depression, their widespread use suggests mental health problems are indeed pervasive.

In the U.S., suicide rates have also steadily risen since 20006,7,8 — a trend blamed on the effects of social isolation, economic pressures, opioid addiction and limited access to mental health care. Considering these facts, it would make sense to be proactive about your mental health, and this includes taking a cold, hard look at your diet. Are you eating foods that increase your chances of feeling calm and content, or is your diet a recipe for doom and gloom?

Key Dietary Recommendations for a Sunny Disposition

A paper9 published in Nutritional Neuroscience in April this year looked at evidence from laboratory, population research and clinical trials to create “a set of practical dietary recommendations for the prevention of depression, based on the best available current evidence.”

This is sorely needed, as psychiatrists do not currently have any established dietary guidelines to follow in the treatment of depression. Chances are, many patients might never resort to medication were they to receive proper dietary guidance. According to this paper, the published evidence reveals five key dietary recommendations for the prevention of depression:

Following a “traditional” dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean, Norwegian or Japanese diet

What You Don’t Eat May Be More Important Than What You Do Eat

Indeed, while there are many “superfoods” known to lower inflammation, improve mitochondrial function and lower your risk of insulin resistance — all of which are factors implicated in depression — what you don’t eat may actually be more important than what you do eat. Adding a few superfoods to an otherwise poor diet is unlikely to yield any significant results. So, it’s important to realize that unless you get the foundation right, it’s going to be a continuous uphill battle.

The simplest, most basic foundation here would simply be to eat real food. This means ditching all processed, prepackaged food items and replacing them with whole foods that you cook from scratch — including condiments and snacks. Your beverage choices may also need an overhaul, as most people drink very little pure water, relying on sugary beverages like sodas, fruit juices, sports drinks, energy drinks and flavored water for their hydration needs. None of those alternatives will do your mental health any good.

Three brain- and mood-wrecking culprits you’ll automatically avoid when avoiding processed foods are added sugars, artificial sweeteners10 and processed vegetable oils — harmful fats known to clog your arteries and cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Gluten also appears to be particularly problematic for many. If you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, you’d be well-advised to experiment with a gluten-free diet.

Three Powerful Dietary Interventions

Next, if you’re serious about your physical and mental health, consider taking things a step or two further by:

•Implementing a cyclical ketogenic diet, high in healthy fats, low in net carbs with moderate amounts of protein. This kind of diet will optimize your mitochondrial function, which has significant implications for mental health. In fact, one noticeable effect of nutritional ketosis is mental clarity and a sense of calm.

The reason for this welcome side effect has to do with the fact that when your body is able to burn fat for fuel, ketones are created, which is the preferred fuel for your brain. Compelling research also suggests a ketogenic diet may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

•Intermittent fasting will also help optimize your brain function and prevent neurological problems by activating your body’s fat-burning mode, preventing insulin resistance and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, the latter of which has been identified as a causative factor in depression.14,15

While you may achieve some of the benefits from intermittent fasting simply by respecting the time boundaries, regardless of the foods you consume, it is far better if you consume high-quality unprocessed food.

Since you’ll be eating less, it’s vitally important that you get proper nutrition. Healthy fats are essential because intermittent fasting pushes your body to switch over to fat-burning mode. Particularly if you begin to feel tired and sluggish, it may be a sign that you need to increase the amount of healthy fat in your diet.

•Water fasting. Once you’re starting to burn fat for fuel, gradually increase the length of your daily intermittent fasting to 20 hours per day. After a month of 20-hour daily fasting, you’re likely in good shape to try a four or five-day water-only fast. I now do a monthly five-day fast, as I believe this is the most powerful metabolic health interventions out there.

A five-day fast will effectively clean out senescent cells that have stopped duplicating due to aging or oxidative damage, which would otherwise clog up your optimal biologic function by causing and increasing inflammation.

Five Superfoods for Mental Health

Once you’re eating healthy in general, there are a number of different superfoods you can focus on that are known for their beneficial impact on mood and psychological well-being. While this list could be quite long, here are five suggestions sure to please most people’s palate. For even more suggestions, check out the articles listed in the references:16,17

•Wild Alaskan salmon and other small, fatty fish such as anchovies and sardines are a great source of animal-based omega-3 fats necessary for mental health and optimal brain function (DHA and EPA are actually structural elements that make up your cells).

These fats also play a role in the regulation of brain chemicals such as dopamine, released in response to pleasurable experiences. Studies have also confirmed Stoll’s early claims that omega-3s reduce the risk of depression. Most recently, researchers concluded omega-3 deficiency may contribute to the development of mood disorders, and that supplementation “may provide a new treatment option.”18

•Foods high in tryptophan. Egg whites (should not be eaten without the yolks) contain the greatest amounts. Spirulina is second. You can see this chart for the rest.

•Spinach and other folate-rich foods. B vitamins in general are important for psychological well-being, and a deficiency in either B6, folate (B9) or B12 are all capable of triggering psychiatric side effects, including depression. Most organic leafy greens are a good source of folate. Aside from spinach, other top sources include broccoli, asparagus and turnip greens.

•Organic dark chocolate. According to a 2009 study19 (conducted at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland), eating 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of dark chocolate per day for 14 days, divided into three daily servings (morning, afternoon and night), reduced levels of stress-related hormones in all participants — even in those who did not report feeling stressed at the outset of the study.

A systematic review20 published in 2013 also found that dark chocolate may be a helpful mood booster. Milk chocolate will not have the same effect though. To work, opt for dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cacao or greater, and limit your portions.

•Organic coffee also has its benefits — and its drawbacks. In fact, findings are mixed when it comes to its effect on depression,21so you’ll have to gauge its effects from personal experience. One meta-analysis22 published in 2015, which looked at a population of nearly 347,000 individuals, concluded caffeine helped protect against depression. Other medical experts warn it might worsen anxiety, which often goes hand-in-hand with depression. A 2014 study23 came to the following conclusion:

“[W]e observed a biphasic profile in caffeine psychostimulant effect: low to moderate doses may correlate with a reduction in depressive risk in healthy subjects and an improvement of many clinical symptoms (attention, arousal, psychomotor performance) in depressed patients, whereas the assumption of high doses may result in thymic dysregulation, favor mixed affective states and worsen circadian profiles and anxiety symptoms.”

Embrace an Antidepressive Lifestyle

Depression is multifactorial. It may take some sleuthing to identify specific triggers. That said, an all-around healthy lifestyle will take care of the most common underlying problems. Addressing your diet and experimenting with nutritional ketosis, intermittent fasting, longer fasts, or all three will set you on the right track.

Avoiding EMFs, getting sensible sun exposure, exercise and plenty of sleep rounds out the list of the basic components for an anti-depressive lifestyle. For more tips and guidance, use the search feature on my site. I’ve written many in-depth articles on depression, covering a wide range of angles, over the years.

11 pounds in 22 days?

baking soda

Is it REALLY possible to lose 11 lbs. of fat in 22 days? Actually yes… BUT only when you’re a level 4 fat burner. Unfortunately, most people are stuck as level 1 fat burners. So, how do you become a level 4 fat burner to lose up to 11 lbs. in 22 days? Simply eat these foods daily:

PS - Studies show that not only can healthy levels of this powerful calorie-burning hormone devour bodyfat and fortify soft muscle, but it can also reduce your risk of diabetes by 53.7%, a heart attack by 83.3% and stroke by 51.4%. Here's more of the scientific proof...

But there is a lot of confusion as to where bread fits into a healthy diet.

The Bible practically commands followers to eat it: “Give us this day our daily bread…” The government put it at the base of the food pyramid. And for centuries, it has been called “the staff of life.”

The average American consumes 55 pounds of wheat flour every year, making refined flour the #1 source of calories in the American Diet – a situation that nutrition expert Chris Kresser describes as, “a public health catastrophe.”

Do You Know Your Body’s Most Important Weight Loss Secret?

Recently, Doctor of Naturopathy, weight-loss expert and best-selling Amazon author Liz Swann Miller, creator of the Red Smoothie Detox Factor, revealed 2 of the secrets to easy, steady weight loss. Secrets the big food corporations do their best to hide from us.

Secret #1: Enjoy real food. Don’t fall for the lie that you have to deprive yourself to lose weight.

Secret #2: stop eating out. You will automatically eat less without even noticing.

Then start detoxing your body with tasty, nourishing smoothies that are just as easy on your wallet as they are easy to make.

Because a single day of enjoying Liz’ smoothies demonstrated the radical power of her superfood-packed red smoothies to make me feel incredibly good.

Now prepare yourself for one of the biggest weight loss secrets there is. A secret that, when you use it properly, can transform your body and your health.

You probably know most of us eat too much processed food. What you may not know is that it’s full of toxic chemicals and substandard, dirt-cheap ingredients designed to make you eat more…and force you to gain weight.

Here’s how it works.

“That stuff is just a lot of calories your body can’t use,” Liz told me, “Some are poison. And all these foods are stripped of the anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories that help your body detox. The result? Your body expends huge amounts of calories to eliminatesome toxins—the rest, it stores in your fat to protect you. This is why most people are hungry all the time. They’re not getting energy they need.”

“So… what’s going on with me? Why am I losing weight but not going hungry?”

Liz paused, then dropped the bombshell.

Your body is designed to burn fat. You just have to let it.

“What? I thought we were designed to store fat?!?” We were Skyping and I was practically shouting. Then I heard Liz say…

What good is a fat reserve if you can’t burn it?

Mind blown.

Liz continued: “You’re drinking smoothies packed with phytonutrients, anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories that pull toxins out of you like a tractor beam. Allowing your body to burn those toxin-filled fat stores… and releasing tremendous amounts of stored energy.”

So that’s why I’m losing weight without going hungry.

Watch Liz’ free presentation. It’s packed with revolutionary weight loss information—information that works. Because it’s based on how nature.

Click the button only if you want to wear smaller clothes, breathe easier, move more freely and just plain feel better.

Because until now, the Red Smoothie Detox Factor has been available only to Liz’ private clients. But now that she’s perfected it to work for almost everyone, almost every time, Liz is sharing it with rest of us so we can feel better and look better.

Because Liz offers a ridiculously good guarantee. You have 60 days to decide you love the Red Smoothie Detox Factor. If you don’t love it—for any reason, or even no reason at all —Liz will refund your money. 100%. No questions asked.

2)Forget what you've read about 10-day lemonade cleanses, 7-day detoxes with green juices and Gwyneth's gruel. All you need to do, and this is perfect for Saturday or or anytime really, is a simple 1-day cleanse.

Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.